Electric welding machine



Jan. 9, 1951 F. G. wlKsTRoM ELECTRIC WELDING MACHINE 6 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June l2, 1948 ya f77 Jan. 9, 1951 F. G. wlKsTRoM 2,537,385

` ELECTRIC WELDING MACHINE l Filed June 12, 1948 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 mi g5 am Jan. 9, 1951 F, G WIKSTRM 2,537,385

yELECTRIC WELDING MACHINE Filed June 12, 1948 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 Jan. 9, F, G wlKsTRQM 2,537,385

* ELECTRIC WELDING MACHINE Filed June 12, 194:3V e sheets-sheet 4 @amm . warf/gy Jan. 9, 1951 F, C;- wlKsTROM 2,537,385

ELECTRIC WELDING MACHINE Filed June 12, 1948 6 sheets-sheet 5 Jan. 9, 1951 F. G. wlKsTRoM 2,537,385

ELECTRIC WELDING MACHINE Filed June l2, 1948 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 'Patented Jn. 9, 1951 to Western Electric Company, Incorporated, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application June 12, 1948, Serial N o. 32,641

` This invention relates to electric welding machines and more particularly to a machine for `welding bimetallic Contact elements to leaf springs foruse in yelectromagnetic relays or other electrical apparatus.

'In the manufacture of contacts to be used in electrical equipment, it is sometimes necessary to use gold, silver, palladium or other noble metals. Because the use of these precious metals involves considerable expense, it is desirable that these contacts be small in size and be welded to less expensive metal in the form of leaf springs which are used to make and break electrical circuits.

An object of this invention is to provide an improved and compact welding machine for welding contact elements to leaf springs, wherein all operations and movements of the various parts 'of the machine are initiated and controlled by a series of cams mounted on a single cam shaft. `Another object of this invention is to provide Ya novel arrangement of the various operating mechanisms so that an intermittent straight line feed is .imparted to a strip of contact material as it passes through the machine to a welding position.

In accordance with one embodiment of this I invention, an electric welding machine for weldward movement to carry the severed contact to a position in advance of a pusher rod. There the 14 claims. (ci. 21a-4) of. a welding machine embodying the features of theinventionp n *A n .l

Fig; 2 is a top plan view of the welding machine shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of the oper- Vating mechanism for the welding electrodes'A of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1;

- Fig. 4 is a detailed perspective view of they operating linkage for the lower welding electrode shown in Figs. 1 and 3; p y

g Fig., 5 is arr` enlarged detailed front view of the contact feeding and delivering mechanism of the apparatusshown inFig. 1; Y y

Fig. 6 is an end view ofthe feeding and delivering mechanism shown in Fig. 5 looking from right to left; g

Fig. 7 isY across-sectional view'taken on line l-'I of Fig. 5 looking in the direction indicated by the arrows; y v

Fig. 8 is. anenlarged fragmentary perspective view of the feeding. mechanism of Fig. 5; Fig. 9 is an enlarged front elevational view kof the contact severing and transferring mechanism shown in Fig. 1;

Figs. 10, 11 and 12 are .detailed vertical crosse jaws are partially separated and the pusher rod advances to deliver'the severed. contact to the welding positionl between an upper and lower welding-electrode which are compressed to weld the contact and leaf spring together.

' The severing mechanism is described in greater detail and is kclaimed in applicant's copend'ing application, Serial No. 32,665 yfiled June 12, 1948. z other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunctionwith the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

.'Figl is' a fragmentary front elevational view sectional views taken on linev Ill- I0v of Fig. 9'

showing the various positions of the component ymembers of thecontact severing mechanism at the dii-ferent stages of the operating cycle;

Figs. 13, and 14 are enlarged views of the gripping and severing jaws shown in Figs. 10 andv 1-1;

.. Fig` 15 is a cross-sectional view `taken on' line l5-fl 5 of Fig. 13 looking in the direction indicated Y, Fig. 20 is altiinin'g diagram showing the siequence of operations that occur during-one complete cycle of operation of the machine with relation t'o the, ,angular position of the cam shaft. y 5@ Referring now to the/drawingsand particularly to; Figs. 1 and 2, the numeral 39 designates. a..

housing or base for supportin'gthe various parts and assemblies in their operative positions.` 'The base 30 is securely mounted upon a table 3l and consists of an integral casting having two upright .guide members 32 and 33 which are semi-circular in shape as shown in Fig. 1. Secured to the base 30 and to the side members 32 and 33 is a shield 34 made of Lucite or other transparent material for the purpose of preventing dust and dirt from getting into and interfering with the operation of the enclosedmechanisms while permitting visual observation of the' operations.

An adjustable fixture 35 of suitable contour is mounted on top of the table 3| for supporting` a switch or leaf spring 35 or other electrical part' on which a contact of precious metal"is"to b'e welded. As shown in Fig. 1, the left end of the switch spring 33 projects beyond4 the fixture `35 into a gap between an upper' welding electrode 31 and a lower` welding electrode 38;"these electrodes at the time of positioning df the'switch leaf spring upon the fixture being appreciably spaced apart for the purpose of facilitating" the positioning of the spring'. Although in the illustrateol` embodiment of- "the-ir`1ventiontheY leaf springs 35 are manually positioned on the -Xture v{Elf-'suitable automatic 'meansmayf be associated with the machine for automatically and inter'- mittently feeding yatr'an of 'springs' forward'to the* Welding position in `timedrelatior1- 'to the operation of the welding machine. l Journaled inY-thesideE members 32 and l32| of base A3ll isA 'a rotatablecarn shaft 39l uponI which are fixed cams 40, 4|, 42, 43and'44 which control the operation of the welding electrodes 31, 38` and cither-y various Arnechan-isms 'f in a predeterminedA sequence. The cam 42- isfnestedwithina-frecess'- the-'"f-ront AiaceV of the' cam 4 -A-pi'votally mounted1 electric motor 455 has a driving pulley-46 for a belt 41 which drives a pulley 48 rotatably mounted oni'the'rear end of theicam shaft 39: Intrposecr between the drivenpulley 48 and the cam shaft 39 is a conventional one revolution clutch-designated generally iin-Fig. 2V by the reference numerall 49' YWhichisV operated bymomen tarilyl depressing a foot pedal controlled-rod A|] whereby" the darn `shaft and''the4 cams* thereon traverse through a single revolution;-'`Up'onv completion of one4 cycle ofrotation of thev camshaft, the-single revolution A'clutch 43 is automatically oisengaged to interrupt the driveY to the cam 'shaft 39' `tostop' the-f rotation 'dfithe cams andthe" sequence-of operations until the rod 50" 'is"d"e' pressed again tof'repeat the cycle of operation.

"*The lower welding electrode 38 which fis' 'made of' y ycopper" has vformed integral ytherewith a tf'i'readedl shank 5 I This threaded shank is ad' justably mounted in a bushing 452'V positioned withi'na" recess in `an insulatorl block 53'. `'I`rhei"nslatoi block `53 i's positionedjbetwee'n a. conductor bar 54 and a collar" 55, thelatt'erbeing'pinned t'ffa holloweyundricar'siide58.* It is through this `con`ductor ybar 54 lthat electricalenergy `is` supplied to the lower electrode duringthe' welding operation.'v The oylindricai'slide 56is locatd'in reciprocating relation Within a recess' of a sliding member 51. The sliding member'51'is mounted' t"recipio'cate Within a' bearing rnerriber`5'8` which is rigidly secured to the tableL 3 I. 'A compressible spring"- 59 placed `within the Avrece'ssl of sliding nie'mber 51resili'eritly supportsthe s1ide56, *The vrelative movement `between slide '56 and slide'member`51 is limitedby an adjustable shoul' der screw '60 which passes throgh'a longitudinal aertr'al "aperture n""sli'de member' 51 and fisv threaded into positive engagement Vwith the' slide ss" The lower portion ofsuding'memnr 51 is bi rcated and a' slidable block'tt is pivtaliy mounted therein. An operatingarm'ZIpivotally 4 supported atits middle portion by a yoke 63, is bifurcated at both ends and one end is in operative engagement with the slidable block 6|. The opposite end of this operating arm 52 is similarly mounted within a biurcated block 64. A push rod 65 is secured to the block 64 and has rotatably mounted at the opposite end thereof a roller 66 (Figs. 2 and 4) so as to be vin 'operative `engagement with the cam 4G. A compression spring 61 positioned between the operating arm 82 and the table 3| forces the right end of the operating arm down and thus the left end up to maintain the roller E56` in operative engagement with the peripheral surfaceof the cam 43.

The upper welding electrode 31 is secured to an offset member 58 by means of a stud 69 and a wing nut 1B; The upper electrode also has a series of peripheral notches 1| for receiving the contact to be welded and is rotatably adjustable on its support to permit proper alignment. Ijhe offset-member 68 is secured to anV insulator'block 12which in 'turnis secured to a recessed slide 13'." Aplower lead 11i" atta'chedto the offset member' 68 conducts currentl to theupper `welding elec? trode. The recessed slide 13 extends throughfa bearing housing 15 and` is longitudinally slidable therein.` rifhel bearing `housing 1,5,v is fas-tened the'base 30. A'push rod 16v extends through'lthe* recessedportion of the' slide; 13 andi is secured thereto by'me'ans of a` pin' 11. I

Also positioned within` the recessed portion ofj thesl'idev 13 and surrounding Athe push' rod TG is" ai compression spring 18,`the upper portie-noi which" presses against a hollow plug 19. This hollow plug 1'9 is threaded intoastopsupport member BAUl which is secured to the bearing housing 15. Thuswhile the'upperelectrode 38 is in its inoperative or raised position, the compression springl` willy continually'exert a force tending tomove the rel? cessed slide 1,3 and push rod down. The upper end of the push rod'16 is threaded to receivel adjusting nuts'l (Fig. 1). VSlidabl'y mounted'oiry the push rod 1G is"a"collar 82 having -a circuni-'- ie'rential slot 83.)A` A pivotallymounted lever arm?t 8?# has a splitsection 85 that surrounds the collarKA 8 2.. Fixed `to each side `o f the inner surfacejfthis split section 8 5 is' a pivot pin Sii` which'slides *inn the slot 83.7` Thusgoscillatory:motion of levervarrrI-f,` 84 is imparted to thepush 'rod-1G as' reciprocatoryl" motion. One end ofthe lever arm 84;ispivpta1iyf mounted at 81 t'o a bracket 8,8 ,which is attachedV tosicle member 32 of basej3l The oppositefencl ofthelever arm-84 has mounted thereon'a"folsm lower `roller '8S (Fig. 2)" which engages Athecarri il due to action of the compressiospr'ng 18 ion," the pushrod 16'..

The mechanism for feeding and deliverihlga contact strip to a severingirnechanism"Suf'issu f ported Ionanelongated reedingmechanism frame |03' on thebase 33'." The'contactmetal'isifl troduced intdthe machine in the jjforrnj of a con#v tinuous-stripor tapewl 91| fof suitable` cross section for satisfactory welding'A and electricalservice?` The stripfmaybe bimetallicf'and maybe rolled of otherwise formed into"therequiredl cross sec-'5 tion; As' shownin Fig". 5, the contact stripj |0|` is drawn through a xedustraight guide' liiljby means: of afeeding mechanism |33. LLReferring. now'tdFigs. 5; 6 and 8, cooperating jawslM' ridi"v ||`l`5 comprise a' chuclrv for' engaginghandfa'd anc: ing the Contact metalv strip; The iowerfenuek., jaw `I U4 lis' notched" to cori"espond tothe 'contourl ofthe lower portionof'thfstrip.andfis secured to a slide llliiby-means of screW's l||)1.an^d"||8. The upper jaw |l5his` bfldatuftherecepyward movement thereof.

tion of a. removable insert |09 which is notched to correspond to the contour of the upper porey tion ofthe contact metal strip The insert |09 may be removed by merely loosening a holding screw I i0 and another insert of different een; tour insertedwhen a contact metal stripof different shape is used. The upper jaw is pivotally mounted on vthe slide |06 by means Oiga pivot pin which passes through a bifurcated portion H2 of the slide |06 and the rear portion of the upper jaw |05. The upper jaw N|115 comprises one end of a feed lever H3, the opposite end of which has mounted thereon a cam follower roller H4 which due to the action oiga tension spring H5 attached thereto forces `the roller to follow the peripheral contour ,ofstle cam 42 (Fig. 1).V The feed lever H3 has formed' integral therewith a heel portion |25. Anzgadjustable screw H6 passes through Athis heel pgrtion and bears against the upper projecting part ||2 of the slide |06 (Fig. 8). Thus by varying the position of the screw H6, the effective dis- K tance that the upper `jaw |05 will pivot from the lower jaw can be varied. The slide |06 is supported and positioned for'sliding movementmby gibs H1 and H8 secured to the frame |00gby means of Vscrews H9 and |20 (Fig. 7). Adjustably mounted in a threaded section of the frame |00 is a slide limit screw |2| which abuts against the rear face of the slide |06 to limit the rear- A By varying the position of either or both of the vadjustable screws screws H6 or |2|, the effective motion imparted to feed a desired length of the wire or strip |0| through the machine may be controlled. f fv- Depending from the frame |00 `and pivotally supported thereon is a checkarm |22 for holding the contact vstrip material |0| stationaryl during the return Vstrokeof the feedingjaws |04 and |05. The strip material is in frictional engagement with the check arm |22 rduring the feeding operation, thus this check arm will pivot .in a counterclockwise direction against the force of a spring |23 allowing the strip material to be draw forward during feeding. Upon completion lof the forward feed of the strip material,` the spring |23 returns the check arm |22 to itsinitial position' where the check arm wedges'tl'i contact strip material against a projecting'se'ction |24 of the frame |00 to prevent retrograde movement of the strip. l`

In feeding the contact material,V an"advanc5el d portion of' the strip |0| is feed' into a guide channel las (Figs. 16 vand 17) formed by a pair of plates |32 and |33 mounted on a bracket |34, which is secured to a frame |35 by bolts |36. This frame |35 also supports the severing mechanism 90 and is secured to the base 30. The guide cliannel |3| has the same cross section as the strip and guides the strip t0 the severing mechanism 90 as it is fed forward by the jaws |04 and |05.

-The construction of the severing mechanism 90 is shown in Figs. 9 and 15 and the various operative positions of the parts thereof are illustrated in Figs. 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14.'

An upper shear jaw is removably secured to a vertically reciprocating slide |4| by means of machine screws |42. Theupper shear jaw has a notch-|43 (Figs. 13 and 14) therein to correspond with the uppercross-sectional contour of the contact strip. This jaw may be r'emoved and replaced when worn or when the cross-sectional contour of the contact strip is changed. The reciprocating slide V|4| is posiposition in advance of a delivery rod |60.

tioned for vertical sliding movement withiny the Y 1fixed frame |35 which is secured tothezbase 30. t

An L'.shaped rocker |44 pivotally mounted byV a screw |45 to the frame |35 has one arm |46 extending into a slot |41 in the vertically reciprocating slide |4|. At the end of this arm there is pivotally mounted a block |48 longitudinally slidable within the slot |41 so that when the rocker |44 is oscillated, the motion imparted to the slide |4| will be a reciprocatory movement in a vertical plane. Mounted on the middle portion of the other arm of the rocker |44 is a cam follower roller |49. A tension spring |50 (Fig. 1) secured at one end to the base 39 and at the other end to the rocker arm |44 insures the engagement of the roller |9 with the peripheral face of the cam 43. Thus displacement of the roller |49 by the rotating cam 43 will oscillate the L- otally mounted a rocker arm |52. In the inoperaf tive or normal position as shown in Fig. 10, the rocker arm |52 is held in a horizontal position by a spring biased rod |53 pressing against the rocker arm. Counterclockwise rotation of the rocker arm |52 is prevented by means of a stop |54 secured to the stop support member 30 (Fig. 2). The rod |53 passes through an aperture |55 vin the upper surface of the frame |35 and is maintained in its uppermost position by means of a compression spring |56 acting between an adjustable collar |51 and the upper surface of slide |4|. Secured to the lower end of the rod |53 is a lower cutter jaw |58. A fixed stop |59 is secured to the upper face of the frame |35 for the purpose of engaging and causing the rocker arm |52 to pivot upon downward movement of the slide |4|. f

After the contact section |30 to be welded has been severed from the contact strip I0 tne severing jaws |40 and |58 transfer this contact to a AS shown in Fig. 5 this delivery rod is secured to a reciprocating plunger |6| by meansof a collet |62. The plunger |6| is secured to a sliding block |63 which is slidably positioned within the frame |00. The block |63 is reciprocated by means of an oscillating arm |64 (Fig. 1) pivotally secured to the side member 32 of the base 3U. Intermediate the ends ofthe arm |64 and rigidly secured thereto is an arm |65 having rotatably mounted thereon a cam follower roller |66 which rides against the peripheral surface of the cam 44 (Fig. 2). Tending to force the block forward along the longitudinal guide members |61 and |68 is a compression spring |69. The forward seetion of the thin flexible delivery rod acts through a lower guide channel |10 (Figs. 16 and 17) formed between the plates |32 and |34 and is accurately aligned with the gap between the severing jaws |40 and |58 when they are in their lowermost position (Fig. 12).

Positioned to the right of the reciprocating severing jaws and intermediate the welding position, as shown in Figs. 9 and 16, is a delivery channel |11 formed between a bracket |12 (Figs. 18 and 19) and a guide block |13. The guide `block |13 is secured to a continuation of the slide frame |35 by means -of a screw |14.

In order to condition the welding machine for automatic operation a pair of starting switches and |8| are provided which, when closed,

energize the following circuitrom vsuitable source of power through the switch |80', the motor 45; throughthe Switch IGI and 'atratlsforml |282 back to the source oi (power. Suitable 'tusesrcone tainedl in fuse boxes |83' and |84 are provided to protect the respective electrical circuits' tothe 'otor'd'and the transformer |62 from excessive power loads. f yrnoperatlng the welding machine, a 'switch-'rear spring or other Aelectrical part onwhic'n 'a' con-j tactis to be welded is' 4placed upon theflitr with its left end extendingfbet'ween tneuppe'r and v'lower welding electrodes 31 and 38. The strip 4o'fcontact lmate'ri'al HH introduced'linto the machine from a supply reel |85 and moved in `a stla-ight'linle through ther'ixed cylindricalfguide 102 andthe reed jaws m4 and lutto ttf-position adjacent the severing jaws. l The adjustable naturey 35"x`nay besetatfvarious preselected positions by loosening aupair offho'ding bolts |93. 'movingr the xtur'e about the bearing member 58 (Fig. 3) to the `desired position and then retightening tne'bolts. Thus aimeans is provided whereby ar contact element i 350 maybe welded to a Contact leaf spring 36 at various preselected angles. f vThe operating cycle is then initiated by 'de` pressing 'a foot pedal |8G attached to the'push rod 5B which 'causes the single revolution 'crlutch 49 to engage the cam shaft with the driving 'means thuscausing the cams 4 44 to rotate and actuate the various mechanisms intimed seL "quence The timed sequence of operation'isindicated in Fig. 20 wherein an upper line A KA(clutcli) shows that the clutch is in engagement during the entire cycle of revolution of the cam shaft.` Rotation-of the cam shaft 39 rst moves the `feedleven'l lf3 (Figs. l and 5) about its `pivot to -grip the contact material 19| between the insert ""IUs `and the lower feed jaw |04 (Figs. -6 and 8'). "Co-ne Atinued movement 4of the feed leverby the cam 0;2 fcausesfthe feed lever H3 to move 'the Vslide |06 fforwalrdto feed the contact strip `material A|`|l|to the severing mechanism 99.1 vThe -Inovernent'rot thefeed mechanism relative to the position-ofthe camshaft 39 duringa cycle-of oper'ationfi's-indi catedvlbyla lower line@- (ieed) "i'nFa 20.r`v y 'f' After 'the feed mechanism 13S vnas completed its forward motion and aslight dweil has taken v place, fthe feedl jaws |04 and its are -returned-to their'initial position. During this return, iretro- Agrade-movement of the contactfstripmaterial I0! i5- prevented bythe'check arm |722 be-ingfforced `againstthecontact strip bythecombined'faeti'on L fofthe spring' |23 4and/the `wedging effect-caused l-b'y thecontactstriplnaterial tending-tol'r tate The `advanced portion l 3E) --of "the contact stri-p material lili is iedintof-the -gap between-tire fjspaced upper and lowerseveri'n'g jaws |40"a'.nd`-| 58 Vassllown in Fig. l0. Tlie'jaws Maand-|58 are held apart because countercloclcwise rotation of the-rocker arm Editie-prevented -by.fstop'^-|l54 "slide |4 causes the rocker arm `|52-to slightly "pivot in a counterclockwisedirection and-simultaneously the upper jaw |40 vslides-'into eng-agment with the strip of Contact materialv vHH fand n`gripsitlagainsttne'lower jaw |58.v The material Uli the contactibetweerrtne electrodes.`

flapplied jis 'indicated 'in .Figzo by a linje AC i, ing); In order to Asirnplify thedrawings, 4

.suitable..circuit 'Joan .b `used .for supplying secured-.to a shaft |92 journaled inthe side severed"from.` trie strip ll AbyA the shearing' action of the jaws 1.40 and |58 in moving past anden@ gaglng:the forward edge` of thev guide onannel |3I. The slidingmovement of, theupper jaw l|40 isfshown relative to .tnezposition of .tne camshaft and the-otherpartsdurmg anoperating cyciein Fig. 20'by theline F (cut-OEIL.

The. downward movement o the'severingjaws l|411 and Its continues,v transierrlng `the severed contactA to 'a position inalignmentwith tnedef lfivery=r1od .16u (Fig. 12.). '.Wh11e .the.downward movement of the-.severlng jaws 1s continuing .the`

rocker arm s |51 xollowsialong .with trie.v slide v.14| as snown'inl Fig.'- lliuntilltne rocker arm. strikes stop member |59' tolcauseltne jaws |411y and-15d to separate upon reaching the flower. delivery .-posif; tion-'as shown in lifigl' i2. 4Tnepositlon folrthe delivery rod IB--m its operative cycle re.ative..to tneJoprating cycles of tne'otner mechanisms'in the 'machine 'ls represented -in rig. 2U by. the .line E (pasner) The separation of tile severingrjaws Mu and |58 in fthe lower position is not as Agreat as tnat lntlle initial position; tnustne severed contact 'is prevented ironi gettlng-'out o1' allg-n ment during-'its transler rronithe Jaws lfm `and dia-grani" shows -tha't vthe upper welding electrode is low`ered `into weldingv position -in two steps. This allows fora wider Iseparation of the 'elecl f'trodes 'in' their non-'welding position -`thus piio vid1ng fa larger Jgap 'between the electrodes to tacintate'the' positioning'foi" the leaf 'spring and Weldir'gjcurrentis .then introduced tof" he lelectrodes "from" -theltransiormer |82 through" `flxiblefiead`s'"`'|"4 "and lffaniis' controlled switch 88 ,operated 'by'fa 'cam y|89 .moun tlfe' cam 'shaft 39;' The'po'rtionofv the c' loperation inV which the""`welding curr detailso'f` lthev welding .circuit contained;y

housing 20|) `are .not shown` but .any `well 'kno Acontrolling the Iwelding current.v

VWhen it becgmes .necessary `Yto .operate .form

member` 32 of the .bases .operatively connect,-

ling the rcamshaft 3s withgtne .snaftf-lzis-a fpairofimeshing 'gears |93V and |94; tnusthe `wheelis maintainedin continuousdriving ela;

tion with the .camshaft |39. .1.

f. `It is to be .understoodthat'theiabove;descri @embodiment :of the `invention is simply. y.illustrative of ltheappIiCation. of` .the principles of invention. iManifestly, numerousother arranger- -ments and modications may be.. readilyzzdevisd amv-,ess f 9 by those skilled in the art which will embody the principlesr of the invention and fall within the spirit and scope thereof as dened by the appended claims. .Y

What is claimed is: 1. In an electric welding machine', a welding electrode, means .for feedingstrip material A,to be welded, said means comprising a pair of jaws for advancing the Ystrip material in aA straight line to the welding face of said electrode, a cutter positioned adjacent the welding electrode, means for moving the cutter in a straight line to cut a sectionfrom the strip material and .simultaneously carry it transversely of the direction of material-'feed so as to bring the severed section into a position which is in-aligninent and parallel to the face of said electrode, and -means for advancing said-severed section to lthe welding'position. Y' l 2. In an electric welding machine, va welding electrode, a slide, a rst jaw fixed to the slide, a second jaw pivoted on the slide, means to pivot the second `jaw toward the-'first jaw to grip a strip of material and move the slide to advance thestrip of material inA a straight" line to the welding face of said electrode, means for simultaneously shearing a section-from the strip material and carrying it in a' single `unidirectional movement transversely of the direction of material feed so as to bring the sheared section into a position which is in alignment with and parallel t'o the face of said electrode, and means 'for advancing the sheared section to a position beneath the weldingelectrode. 3. In a welding machine, a pair of resiliently mounted welding electrodes movable toward each other, a plurality of cams mounted upon a single cam shaft, a severing means, means for intermittently feeding strand material ina straight line to the severing means. meansto move the severing means in a straight line to shear a section of the strand material and deliver it to a l()v the electrodes into engagement-with the material, said .advancing meanscomprising a sliding blockhaving amjaw member xed thereto, a

second jaw'pivotally mounted on said sliding 1 material. v

position in alignment with the space between the welding electrodes, means for advancing the severed material between the `welding electrodes in a straight line parallel to the direction of material feed, means for moving said electrodes toward each other and into operative engage'- ment with the material, means for energizing said electrodes, and a motor for rotating ,the cam shaft so that all of said means are controlled for timed operation by the cams on said cam shaft.

4. In an electric welding machine. a pair of relatively movable opposed electrodes, means for supporting an electrical contact leaf spring in welding position between said electrodes, an adiustable feeder for intermittently advancing a continuous length of contact material along a straight line to a cutting device, means for moving the cutting device in a unidirection to engage and shear a section of material and deliver it to a second position in advance of said welding electrodes, means to release the cutting device from engagement with the severed material in the second position, and a reciprocating member for transferring the severed material to the welding position on the leaf spring.

5. In a welding machine, a pair of relatively movable opposed welding electrodes, means for intermittently advancing material between the welding electrodes, means for operating both the material advancing means and the electrodes in a predetermined sequence to move the material 'between the said electrodes and then to move block, and means for pivoting the second jaiv` towardthe first-jaw to grip the material and move the sliding block forwardto advance' the v6. In an electric welding machine, a pair -of relatively movable opposed electrodes, means foi` feeding' material between the electrodes, means A'for actuating the material Afeeding means to move the material between the electrodes and the'nactuatingztheelectrodes into contact with thegpositionedv material, said feeding 1 means comprising a slide lhaving'a jawmember iixed Yopposed electrodes movable towards`each other,

means for feeding material to be welded between said electrodes', means for operatingpthe feeding means and said electrodes in timed relation to feedv a section of material between said electrodes and then to move the electrodes into con- Y tactV with the section of material, said feeding means comprising a slide having a jaw member secured thereto, a second jaw pivotally mounted on said` sliding block, `means for pivoting the second jaw ,toward the `first -jaw to grip a sec-1- tion of material and to move the sliding block forward to advance the material, and meansA to adjustably vvary the effective movement 'of 4the sliding block, said feeding means being mounted in a rstraight line opposite the electrodes to feed the material in astraight line thereto.

' 8.`In a welding machine, a straighttublar guide, strand feeding means positioned in'alignment with said guide, a reciprocating cutter, a pair of resiliently mounted welding electrodes;- means for operating said feeding means to move a strand'material' through said straight guide and 5to Yfeed a 'section of the material 'toithe reciprocating cutter, means for actuating said cutter to cut the section of material fed and deliver it to a position in advance of said weld-- ing electrodes in a single unidirectional movement, and yspring pressed means for advancing said material to a position between said electrodes.

v9. In an electric welding machine, a pair of y resiliently mounted opposed electrodes at a welding position, a supply reel for strand material, means for feeding the strand material from said supply reel to a position between the said elecstraight line movement, and means for trans-f, ferring said severed material to the welding position.`

10. an electric welding machine, a housing,

a bench for supporting the said housing,1f`a

haft rotatably mounted in the housing,"v

reeiprocable upper electrode supported by the housing, a lower reeiprocableelectrode supported .by the bench, cams on .the cam shaft for actuating the electrodes, means mounted under and extending through the bench and controlled by a cam on the cam shaft for moving the lower electrode toward the upper'- electrode, means supported by the housing and controlled by a cam on the `cam shaft for moving the` upper electrode to'ward the lower electrode, a strand feeding and cutting mechanism carried by the housing and mounted in a straight line opposite the space betweenthe two electrodes, means for operating the cam shaft to move the 'electrodes toward each other, .and means for actuating-'the strand feediiigfandV cutting mechanism -tofeed a portion of a strand in a straight line to` a Aposition between the electrodes. 11. I-n an'electrio welding machine, a housing, acam shaft rotatably mounted in the housing, a bench for supporting the. said housing, a reciprocable upper electrode supported by the housing, a lowerreciprocable electrodeV supported bythe bench, a motor: pivotallymounted to and under the bench, means extending' from the plvoted motor and through the bench tov drive the cam shaft. cams on the cam shaft foractuatl ingthe electrodes, means mounted under and extending through the bench Aand controlled by a cam on they cam shaft for moving the lowerelectrode toward. the` upper electrode, means supported" by the. `housing and: controlled by a cam on the` cam-shat'i'or movingtheupperelectrode toward the. lower: electrode, a strand feedingA vand cutting `mechanism carried 'by the. hous ingandmounted vin a straight line4 opposite. the space between the'two electrodes, and means fora'ctuatingthe strand feeding and cutting.v mechas nism to feed a portion ofza strand .a straight line to a position between theY electrodes.

12,` In an electric welding machine, a pair of relatively'mova'ble opposed electrodes, a work holdervv for holding an.. article. between. the elecsaid workholder-'being mountedfor rota'- tion. about oneoff the electrodes; meansto secure Work-liolder.r ina variety of.= positions. wherebyarticle` is held-. at various preselected angles 12 about the center line of the saidleleotrode, and' means for moving bothof the. `electrodes into engagement with the'article to be welded..

13. In an electric Welding machine, a parof relatively movable opposed electrodes, one of said electrodes being cylindrical in shape', a bearing surrounding the .cylindrical electrode, a `work holder for holding an article between the .electrodes., said work holder being rotatably mounted on the bearing around the cylindrical electrode; means for securing the work .holder at various preselected positions about the longitudinal axis of the cylindrical electrode, means for :moving the .cylindrical electrode through the bearing into engagementwith one side of thearticle held byy the. Work, holder, and. means for moving th other electrode int-Q engagement with the `other 4Sid 0f the article held by the. work. holder.

14. In an electric Welding machine, ,a pair .of movable electrodes, means to intermittently feed strip material inl ka straight line toward the elec.- trodes, means to move said electrodes and `said material feeding means in timed relation to. feed the material between the electrodes. and the-n to` move the electrodes into Contact with the material, said feeding means. including a reciproeat ing slide,` an adjustablev means` for .limiting .the mor/ement, of the slide, a jaw member secu-red to theslide, a second jaw pVotall-y mounted. onsaid slide, meansfor pivoting the .second jaw toward the,A iii-rst, jaw to, grip a Section .of the. material andto move the slide. forward toA advanceuthe material, and means 'to vary the pivotal mnvement of the second jaw.

FRANK WIKSTROM.

The; following references. are of: recordin. the nie. .ofj this patent.: 

